http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
Stan Ski

Good one, Stan Ski.
Thanks for sharing.

Harold

Excellent!

I see a Pulitzer prize candidate!

Dale

Outstanding video! Outstanding girl! Excuse me........ there's something in my eyes! Must be the pollen........ yeah, that's it.

Terry

I'm having a herd tiome see ing the keys.... Thanks, Stan..

Yes...Thanks Stan...What a tear-jerker that one is...

Wonderful tribute. Nobody did anything like it for us Namers.

No, but a lot of us that were still in high school back then felt that way. This may be a little late codefox, but, welcome home and thank you for keeping us free!! You were NEVER forgotten.

All gave some..... Some gave all!

Terry

Thank you all for your service...My eyes are sweating..
Dan

Yes, Codefox you are corect and we all should be ashamed and appauled for the way most of our country acted apon your and others return. I was too young at the time to serve in Nam. I wish to thank you for your service to our country. I try very hard to meet and thank the Nam soldiers when I see you guys.

You men deserved far better than you received.

Dave

This is why I contribute to the USO. I feel like I am only giving nickels and dimes, but I gladly give up some beers and dinners over the course of the year, to help those who volunteer. If everybody gave only a nickel, think of how many "Care" packages the guys in the field could get. And I do send a little extra around Thanksgiving, $50, so the USO can supply somebody with a cell phone, so they can call home for the holidays. They do hand them out to the troops. Who needs Santa, when the kids can instead talk to Mommy or Daddy. Even if only for a little while.

When something simple like boxes of cookies or some car magazines gets a letter of thanks, it gives a person a true sense of perspective.

The military tends to get people to draw lines. So let me give this another angle--

After the ocean earthquake triggered tsunami hit Indonesia several years ago, within 36 hours of arrival, the Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, had transferred over a million and a half pounds of supplies to shore and carried off numerous injured. Helicopters from other ships ferried supplies to the Richard, and she in turn ferried them onto land. Offload and onload times were ridiculously short. Just imagine how exhausted they must have been after 12 hours! Clothing tents, food, tools, and most importantly water were brought to shore. Most of the people live close to the shore, and their fresh water wells were all contaminated by salt water rendering them useless.

I forget the name of the sub right now, but one of our nuclear boats moved in. The crew gave up showers and the mess hall. The lack of showers allowed the boat's desalination plant's output to be used as an additional fresh water source, and this was also ferried ashore. And the mess hall became the boat's 3rd operating room. These steps were the crew's desire. No brass hats ordered this, it was strictly done by the crew.

The Pentagon also spent $5 million, to buy water in other Asian countries. Water weighs over 8 pounds a gallon, and finding local sources sped up the delivery.

Too bad you can't hear this within our own country. Unless you know someone who was involved, you would never know.

But those who serve do. And whatever I could ever do pales in comparison.

Thank you, to all of our forces.

John S.

Hope this isn't veering too far off topic.

A few years ago when Iraq was the war de jour an oldtimer WW2 vet buddy of mine asked me to find an address for a random soldier so he could send him something. He was thinking a bar of soap, deck of cards, a couple pair of sox and some smokes and a candy bar.

I had a friend who had just returned from Iraq but his brother was still over there so we had sort of a direct line of communication. They are very tight about just mailing a goodie box these days. They prefer it go thru officially sanctioned channels. Long story short...most of the boots in the field nowadays have all the sox and soap they need. The guy in Iraq asked for donations for schoolkids. Regular pencil box with erasers, protractor, ruler, and that type of thing.

The USO and other private entities do a great job of providing for our troops but our troops over there are mandated with an obtuse 'winning hearts and souls' mission . A good school box kit can go a long way in that mission.

Stan, it was more than just great!! I feel that the most beautiful human beings are wearing BDU's. For those who missed that one, it's: Battle Dress Uniform. I think they've changed it to ATU, the "A" meaning: Attack.

Having been a GI and officer both, and working with those kids as a DA civilian for 38 years, they become close brothers and sisters to you.

Whatever the case, that was a powerful presentation. The funeral sequence was pretty wrenching. Monumental!!